Escapement control for typographical linecasting machines



July 3, 1962 E. MIDGETTE ESCAPEMENT CONTROL FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL LINECASTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 8, 1961.

1962 E. MIDGETTE 3,042,188

ESCAPEMENT CONTROL FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL LINECASTING MACHINES Filed May 8, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 N VEN TOR. Erna! L. Miafyefle AGENT United States Patent 3,042,188 ESCAPEMENT CONTROL FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL LINECASTING MACHINES Ernst L. Midgette, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to Harris- Intertype Corporation, Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 8, 1961, Ser. No. 108,355 3 Claims. (Cl. 199-23) The present invention relates to linecasting and composing machines operated by automatic control mechanism of the type disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,091,286 and particularly to automatically operated keyboardless machines of the class disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,057,- 652.

In the past, operating units known under the trademark Teletypesetter have been capable of speeds up to 540 impulses per minute which speeds have been quite adequate when such units were combined with the wellknown keyboard rubber roll and cam style of escapement mechanism.

However, since the advent of high speed typesetting machines operating at speeds as high as 14 lines of newspaper column work per minute and the necessary speeding up of the operating unit to 750 impulses per minute particularly on keyboardless machines which do not utilize the usual key board rubber roll and cam arrangement for releasing matrices from their respective magazine channels, the reliability of said releasing operation has been seriously impaired.

According to the present invention the reliability of matrix release on high speed machines has been greatly increased by providing a universal lock which momentarily retains escapement actuated reeds in their operated position thus assuring full release of the leading matrix. Furthermore, according to the present invention, a previously selected and actuated escapement remains locked in its actuated position while the selector bar of a subsequently sensed character is being positioned for pick-up by the striker bar of the operating unit. A mechanism for effecting this delaying action is fully disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,786,567 and, therefore, the details thereof will be omitted from the present specification.

In view of the foregoing it is the principal object of the present invention to provide, for an automatically operated linecasting machine, means for holding a previously actuated escapement in its actuated position while escapement mechanism of a subsequently sensed character is being conditioned for actuation.

Other objects and structural details of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, and showing the basic Teletypesetter sensing mechanism in relation to the escapement locking element of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the driving mechanism which actuates the escapement locking mechanism of the present invention.

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view taken generally on the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a Teletypesetter operating unit and shows the manner in which the locking bail of the present invention is incorporated therewith.

Referring to FIGURE 4, when perforated code tape is positioned in the sensing station 12 of the operating unit 14 and the operating unit switch (not shown) is activated the selected pins (not shown) rise to sense the code in the tape, the escapement locking cam 16 begins the permutation bars are shifted according to the code 3,042,188 Patented July 3, 1962 to rotate toward its escapement unlocking position, the universal striker lbar 18 moves to the left as viewed in FIGURE 1 and the spreader cam 20 commences to rotate in a counterclockwise direction but, because there has been no selection made at this time and none of the selector bars 22 have been shifted into the path of travel of the striker bar, no escapement actuation is effected. As the spreader cam 20 continues to rotate all of the selector bars 22 are lifted out of contact with permutation bars 24 against the resistance of their springs 26 after which which has just been sensed after which the spreader cam reaches a point where it leaves contact with the selector bars and selector bar 22 which corresponds to the initial sensing, enters the aligned slots of the permutation bars. This completes the first cycle of the operating unit and, because there was no escapement action the universal escapement lock bail 28 made an idle stroke during which no locking action was effected.

When the second code is sensed in the sensing station 12 the movement of elements just described is repeated only this time the shoulder 30 of selector bar 22 is positioned in line with striker bar 18 and, therefore, when the striker bar moves to the left it drives selector bar 22 to the left against a pad on its associated bell crank 32 which is thereby rocked in a clockwise direction about pivot 34 against the tension of spring 36 and its rightwardly extending arm 38 depresses the left-hand end of associated 'lever 40 which is thereby caused to rock in a counterclockwise direction about pivot 42 and its right-hand end is raised to lift its corresponding escapement actuating reed 44 against the tension of its spring 46 and the upper end of reed 44 then engages and rocks escapement 48in a counterclockwise direction thereby releasing the matrix which was sensed during the previous cycle of the operating unit. As particularly shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, the escapement operating cam 16 of the present invention is fixedly mounted on the drive shaft of the operating unit and rotates therewith whenever the unit is operating. Referring to FIGURES 2 and 3, cam 16 engages a roller 50 rotatably mounted in a clevis fitting connected to a rod '52 which is horizontally and slidably disposed in a bearing 54 fixed to the main framework of operating unit 14. As shown in FIGURES 2 and 4 the right-hand end of rod 52 is pivotally connected to the free end of arm 56 fixed to the lower end of a pivot rod 58 which is vertically journaled in a bearing 60 of the operating unit framework. Fixed to the upper end of rod 60* is an arm 62 which extends to the right and is pivotally connected to a link 64 the other end of which is pivotally connected to the upper end of a vertically disposed lever 66 which is clamped upon the bearing end of a horizontal bar 68 which extends the width of the escapement reed framework 70, lever 66 being resiliently urged in a counterclockwise direction by spring 72.

During the initial part of the second cycle just described, the lever 40 rocks in a counterclockwise direction, to raise escapement actuating reed 44, and the escapement locking cam 16 commences to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 3 and, as the latching point 74 of the lever 40 rises, the latching edge of universal locking bail 28 is rocked in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 1, out of the path of latching point 74 and after the latching point 74 of lever 40 rises above the latching edge of bail 28 said bail rocks back in a counterclockwise direction and engages the under side of point 74 of lever 40 thus locking reed 44 in its upper position and thereby holding escapement 48 in its actuated position.

During the third cycle of the operating unit the second cycle operation, as hereinabove described, is repeated with one additional factor; namely, when the keyrod locking bail 28 is rocked clockwise during the initial portion of the cycle the initially actuated reed 44 is released and its corresponding escapement rocks in a clockwise direction to its normal position at which its lower lug engages the upper ear of the leading matrix in the magazine channel.

From this point on each sensing operation is accompanied by a matrix release from a previously sensed code.

Operation After the code tape is inserted in the sensing station 12 of the operating unit and the switch thereof is activated, the striker bar 18 of the operating unit moves forwardly and the universal locking bail 28 moves out of alignment with the latching points 74 of levers 40. The sensing mechanism of the operating unit then goes through its usual cycle of positioning a selector bar for pick-up by the striker bar which, in the next succeeding cycle of the operating unit will effect the release of a matrix. During the first cycle initiated by a new code tape there is no escapement actuation because the striker bar moves forwardly at the beginning of a cycle before a selector bar can be positioned for pick-up. Since the retraction of locking bail 28 is timed to clear latching points 74 of levers 40 as the selected one thereof is rising in response to the driving action of striker 'bar 18 it will release any previously latched lever 40 for gravitation to its normal position and will move in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 1 to engage the lower edge of latching point 74 of the newly actuated lever 40 thus locking said lever in its actuated position and thereby cause its corresponding escapement to be locked in its actuated position where it will remain until the succeeding cycle of the operating unit.

While there is above described but one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept above described and it is, therefore, desired that only such limitations shall be imposed on the appended claims as are stated therein or required by the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a typographical linecasting machine under the control of an automatic operating unit, the combination of a plurality of escapement-reed operating levers activatable by said operating unit; a plurality of escapement reeds corresponding to said operating levers and adapted to actuate a plurality of escapements for releasing matrices from a magazine of said typographical machine; a universal locking bail disposed transversely and adjacent the rearwardly projecting ends of said reed operating levers and positively timed with the driving mechanism of the operating unit to be rocked into engagement with the rearwardly projecting portion of an actuated reed operating lever after said lever has been raised to actuate a corresponding matrix magazine escapement and hold said lever in its raised position until a succeeding escapement actuating cycle is initiated.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the rearward ends of the escapement operating levers are formed with a projecting point or ledge extending toward the rear of the typographical machine, said point or ledge being adapted to be engaged by the free edge of said universal locking bail whenever said lever is elevated to actuate an escapement of said typographical machine, to hold said lever in its raised position until a succeeding escapement actuating cycle is initiated.

3. In a keyboardless typographical linecasting machine operable by an automatic operating uni-t, the combination of a plurality of escapement-reed operating levers actuatable directly by said operating unit; a plurality of escapement reeds corresponding to said operating levers and adapted to actuate a plurality of escapements for releasing matrices from a magazine of said typographical machine; a universal locking bail disposed transversely and adjacent the rearwardly projecting ends of said reed operating levers and positively timed with the driving mechanism of the operating unit to be rocked into engagement with the rearwardly projecting portion of an actuated reed operating lever after said lever has been raised to actuate a corresponding matrix magazine escapement and hold said lever in its raised position until a succeeding escapement actuating cycle is initiated.

No references cited. 

